### Flashback: A Chance Encounter
A few days before the party, the world had felt ordinary—until it didn't.
Kael had been walking down a quiet side street when he spotted her. A young girl, walking with a heavy, solitary gait. She looked lonely, but that wasn't what stopped Kael in his tracks. Following her, like a predator stalking prey, was a shadow that didn't belong to the sun.
Kael's eyes narrowed, his pulse quickening. He began to follow them, keeping his distance.
*"Kael… that shadow isn't normal,"* Dark Smiler's voice vibrated in his mind, sharp with warning. *"It's a breach. An invader."*
Kael's blood ran cold. "How can you tell?"
*"Listen carefully. When a shadow-rift invades this world, it feeds on isolation. It searches for the lonely, looking for a soul it can hollow out and inhabit."*
Kael frowned, his gaze fixed on the girl's back. "How do we stop it?"
There was a brief, chilling silence. *"Simple,"* Dark Smiler replied. *"Become someone she can trust. Sever the isolation."*
Kael exhaled, a small breath of relief—but it was premature. The shadow suddenly stopped. It turned with a slow, sickening fluidity, its glowing red eyes locking onto Kael.
"Cursed… what do I do?" Kael asked through telepathy, his heart hammering against his ribs.
*"Run,"* Dark Smiler commanded. *"Find an isolated place where we aren't watched. Trust me."*
Kael didn't hesitate. He bolted toward an old, abandoned warehouse nearby, his sneakers skidding on the gravel. He burst inside, the air smelling of dust and rot.
"Stop here," Dark Smiler said.
Kael skidded to a halt, gasping for air. "Now what?"
*"Speak the command, Kael. Call for the **Death Daggers**."*
Kael froze. "Daggers? Against a shadow?"
*"Trust me."*
Kael clenched his fists, the red eyes of the shadow appearing at the warehouse entrance. "Fine… **Death Daggers!**"
A small, swirling vortex of obsidian energy tore open in the air before him. Without thinking, Kael plunged his hand into the cold void. His fingers closed around two hilts. As he pulled them out, the blades shimmered like dark, jagged glass—unnatural and terrifyingly sharp.
The shadow lunged, a wave of pure malice. Kael gripped the daggers and charged. In one fluid motion, he struck. The dark glass pierced the center of the shadow's mass.
A distorted, otherworldly scream tore through the warehouse. The shadow convulsed, flickering like a dying television screen, before shattering into nothingness. All that remained was a small, pulsing crystal on the floor.
Kael stood there, chest heaving, his hands trembling as the daggers vanished back into the void. He turned slowly toward the corner of the room.
"A-Are you okay?"
The girl emerged from behind a broken wall. She didn't look terrified. She ran toward him, her small hands reaching out to hold his.
"A… Arigatō gozaimasu…" she whispered.
Kael blinked. "You're… Japanese?"
She nodded softly, her grip on his hand tightening. "I… want to stay like this. Please."
Kael's face burned a bright crimson. "O-Okay…"
His eyes drifted to the crystal on the floor. He tried to move to hide it, but she was faster. She looked at the crystal, then back at Kael. Her voice was steady, hushed.
"Don't worry. I understand."
Kael's brow furrowed. "Understand what?"
She took a shallow breath. "I am also… a shadow. But that creature… it wasn't from my world."
Kael's golden eyes widened. The world was growing far larger and more dangerous than he had imagined. "I want to know everything."
"I'll tell you," she promised. "Later." She paused, a small, shy smile gracing her lips. "What's your name?"
"I'm Kael."
"I'm Shiya," she replied, lightly tapping her forehead as if scolding herself for forgetting the introduction.
Kael sat on a nearby crate, his heart finally slowing down. "That's a cute name."
Shiya blushed, and for a moment, the abandoned warehouse felt like the safest place in the world.
### The Present: The Five Great Souls
Kael opened his eyes, the memory fading as he sat in the quiet of his room after the party. His mother had brought him a final slice of chocolate cake, and the house was finally still. Moonlight spilled across his bed, silver and cold.
"The Cursed…?"
*"Yes? What is it?"* Dark Smiler replied, his voice drifting lazily through Kael's mind.
"You mentioned an image. The Five."
*"Ah, right."* A piece of ancient-looking parchment manifested in Kael's lap. *"Take a look, little king."*
Kael stared at the first figure on the page. It was a woman, radiating a terrifying, crimson power. Flames of demonic energy licked at the edges of the drawing.
"Is this the Demon Lord?"
*"I'm too tired to verify,"* Dark Smiler muttered. *"Describe her to me."*
Kael leaned in. "She looks… powerful. Surrounded by crimson energy. Her eyes are red, glowing with pride. She's smiling, like she's already won."
### The Secret Meeting
Elsewhere, in a room buried deep beneath the city, there was no moonlight. Only a single, flickering bulb hung over a circular table.
Two chairs were already occupied by silhouettes that didn't seem entirely human.
*Click.*
The door opened. Tatsuka stepped inside, his footsteps echoing like gunshots in the silence. He stopped, the heavy, suffocating air pressing against his lungs.
"So… it's true," Tatsuka said, his usual playful voice replaced by something cold and hard.
No one answered. The shadows around the table simply shifted. Tatsuka walked forward and pulled out the third chair, sitting down with measured grace.
Silence stretched, long and uncomfortable. Then, one of the figures moved—just a fraction.
"You're late," a voice echoed. It was distorted, as if two people were speaking at once.
Tatsuka's mouth curled into a faint, joyless smirk. "Am I?"
The temperature in the room plummeted. "We don't have time for games," the second presence whispered.
A pause. Then, a name was spoken.
"...Kael."
The shadows in the room trembled at the sound. Tatsuka's eyes darkened, his smile vanishing completely.
"...So it has begun," Tatsuka murmured.
One of the figures leaned forward, though the light failed to touch their face. "If he awakens…"
The voice trailed off, pregnant with dread.
"...Everything ends."
Tatsuka rested his chin on his hand, staring into the void. "...Or begins."
*Click.*
The light bulb flickered once and died. Darkness consumed the room, leaving only the weight of a prophecy that was finally starting to breathe.